But the Iranian Air Force was no match for the advanced US fighter jets. The best the Iranians could put into the air was a small number of Su-24’s and MiG-29’s, but with avionics that were less advanced than the Russian versions. It was a critical weakness that the Iranians were unable to overcome. Their inability to respond to the US air strikes meant most of the country’s fighters were destroyed in their hangars.
A hail of Tomahawk missiles rained down on key military and political locations within Tehran, fired from US Destroyers patrolling the gulf. Air raid sirens wailed like mournful laments and citizens scurried into shelters, or clung to their loved ones and cowered in the dark corners of their homes as the missiles continued to fall and the destruction seemed without end.
As dawn came the following morning, the sun rose behind a pall of black smoke hanging across the Middle East, drifting like a black haze.
Beneath the smoke, Iran lay in ruins. The entire nation’s religious and political leadership had been destroyed in the bunker below Tehran. The nation’s nuclear facilities resembled the craters of a lunar landscape, and – while elements of the Iranian military still remained – the Air Force and key Army installations had been decimated.
The B-52’s returned just after sunrise. They flew unchallenged beneath the protective shelter of their fighter escorts, and bombed the Iranian naval base of Bandar-e Abbas, as well as commercial shipping harbors along the Iranian coastline.
In less than twelve hours, Iran and everything the nation had grown to be, had ceased to function.
The evening after the attack on Iran, the President of the United States, Joseph Mace, broadcast an address to the American nation. It was televised from his desk at the Oval Office, and repeated through the Emergency Alert System.
My fellow Americans. The events that unfolded over the past many months almost tore our great country apart and brought us to our knees. The zombie apocalypse that swept across the southern states of our great land killed millions of people and attempted to destroy our way of life, our trust for one another, and our faith in God.
It tested our military as no other conflict in the history of this nation has done. It turned our fighting men and women against those who had once been our brothers, sisters, sons and daughters.
The zombie apocalypse was not just an attack on our people but also an attack on our freedom – that right which we cherish most dearly.
For many months during the terrifying spread of the contagion we lived under the assumption this diabolical disaster that had befallen us was just that – a natural disaster. During these trying times, we struggled to survive; we struggled to adapt and to carry on in the face of fear, the face of doubt, and deprivation.
Today I am happy to announce we have won our battle. We rose above the threat that challenged us. We showed the true grit for which we, as Americans, are admired and respected by all the free nations of the world. We did not surrender. We did not go meekly into the darkness. We stood up. We fought back.
And, we won.
I can now reveal to you we have discovered new evidence proving this event was more diabolical than we could ever have imagined.
This was not a virus Fate brought to our shores. This was not an accident, or a natural epidemic.
It was, instead, the most brutal insidious act of State sponsored terrorism the world has ever witnessed.
The tireless work of our collective intelligence organizations has proven beyond all doubt this zombie outbreak was, in truth, a plot perpetrated by the government of Iran against America and her people. It was a callous, criminal act unmatched in the history of mankind for its evil, and malicious disregard for the sanctity of life.
We were targeted not because we were a military threat, but because we stand as a beacon of freedom and fairness throughout the world. Today that light still shines because, despite the challenges we faced, we endured and survived.
Last night I issued orders for a retaliatory strike against Iran, targeting several key installations in Tehran along with several other major military and industrial complexes. Those missions were successfully accomplished and, as a result, Iran is no more.
We have suffered. We have struggled. We have endured, and we have survived.
Iran has been destroyed.
Iran has been torn apart at every level of its government. Its economy and military forces have been broken.
We have ensured Iran, as a nation, will never rise again as a threat.
Dark times have descended upon our world. The unprovoked terrorist attack upon us had dire global consequence. People now live in fear, and we are embroiled in a new age of international uncertainty.
But through it all, America has endured. We have stood against the enemies of freedom before, and we will continue to do so. To those who might threaten us in the future we give this warning. We will no longer act with an extended hand of conciliation, but with the clenched fist of our total force and the unfaltering conviction of our will.
We will preserve and protect our fundamental right to defend ourselves.
We now begin a new age – a new time in the history of this planet, and we embark on this uncertain path no longer as the world’s greatest power, but as the world’s most dangerous enemy to those who would seek to benefit from our adversity.
To the people who may threaten us in the future, remember our forefathers once warned, “Don’t tread on me.”
Heed that warning.
America will bite back.
Today we have proven it and tonight we stand committed to doing so in the future, should it ever again be necessary.
We remain the land of the free because we are the home of the brave.
Thank you. Goodnight, and God bless America.
AFTERWORD:
When I decided to write this account of the zombie apocalypse, it was my intention to record interviews that showcased America’s military response to the virus, and the way the men and women of our armed forces went to war to defend our nation.
That was my intention.
And, I fear, I have failed.
I didn’t plan to write a record of this tragedy that detailed the human side of the conflict. I wanted this account to be removed from the emotional civilian reports that have made up so many other books about the zombie war.
But it’s just not possible.
As I read back through these interviews now, I realize the humanity of our soldiers pervades every page. I read it in their words, their fears, their determination and resolve. Indeed it is the humanity of the men and women who fought the war that rings like the clear chime of a bell calling to us all…
To remember their valor.
Their sacrifice.
Their patriotism.
– John Culver
Washington D.C.
New America.
Acknowledgements:
I would like to thank the following people for their contributions to the writing of this book. I am forever in their debt for their willingness and enthusiasm.
Nick Ryan.
Larry Bond: Larry is a bestselling techno-thriller author and worked closely with Tom Clancy on some of his most famous novels. When I first had the idea for this book, Larry was very gracious and helpful with thoughts and suggestions.
Galen, ‘The Arkenstone’: Galen is one of the foremost experts on Iran, its politics, culture and its military. He was an enormous help with the early sequences of this book.
Samuel C. Garcia: Sam is a former US Army Black Hawk helicopter pilot and an all-around nice guy. He helped me with the combat sequences in ‘Dead Rage’ and generously backed up for this book, giving several of the interviews a much needed touch of authenticity.
Tommy Towery: Tommy is a retired U.S. Air Force Major and a man amongst men. He has been an enormous help throughout the writing of this book, contributing ideas, and information as well as sharing his experience and knowledge to make the sequences in the book as realistic as possible. Tomm
y was instrumental in writing the B-52 bomber interview as well as many other parts of the book.
Dale Simpson: Dale is a US Special Forces Operator. He helped a great deal with the writing of ‘Dead Rage’ and re-enlisted to help with the interviews for this book. His specialized knowledge was vital to the book’s authenticity.
Bill Seery: Bill was a phenomenal help in writing this book. A former US Navy man, Bill championed the cause for Naval involvement through this novel, and then went out of his way to help me research and create the necessary sequences. Bill’s input to the authenticity of the finished novel was invaluable.
Randy Harris: Randy is a retired Cavalry Major with more than 43 years experience in the US Army and Army National Guard. Randy is a fine man, and was instrumental in developing the sequences involving the armored battles that take place in the book.
Ty Harris: Ty is a cool guy I met online. He owns a comic book store. We were chatting on social media and I suddenly had the idea to include him and his family as refugees who had survived the apocalypse. He agreed… and that makes him very cool indeed.
Dave Moon: Retired USAF Major, David Moon, was a great help sorting through the Air Force interviews within this book. He also opened doors for me to reach out other contacts within the Armed Forces.
Ron Page: Ron is a former US Marine who served two tours in Iraq before joining the police force. He is currently a SWAT Team operator. His help fact-checking the manuscript to ensure accuracy was invaluable to the finished authenticity of the novel.
Rusty ‘Waldo’ Walden: Rusty is a retired USAF Colonel who flew F-16 fighter jets. He was a tremendous help checking through the fighter patrol sequences.
Other titles by Nicholas Ryan available through Amazon:
*Ground Zero: A Zombie Apocalypse
*Die Trying: A Zombie Apocalypse
*Dead Rage: A Zombie Apocalypse
All titles are stand-alone novels. They can be read in any order.
Zombie War: An account of the zombie apocalypse that swept across America Page 30